Loeb beaten, but leads race for title

Gilles Panizzi, in his last drive for Peugeot, gained an unexpected victory in the Rally of Catalunya, the penultimate leg of the 14-race world championship, here on Sunday.

The Frenchman denied his compatriot and race favourite Sebastien Loeb with a dramatic final-stage win, with Estonian Markko Martin's Ford Focus finishing a close third.

Loeb, whose Citroen came in 13 seconds adrift, takes the lead in the championship standings from teammate Carlos Sainz with next month's Rally of Great Britain to come.

Loeb and Sainz are locked together on 63 points but Loeb holds the advantage, having won three rallies this season compared to the Spaniard's lone success.

Norway's Petter Solberg is third, one point back, with Richard Burns, who crashed out on the 19th special stage, fourth on 58 points.

It is equally tight in the race for the constructors' title with Peugeot, celebrating its first victory since Argentina in May, narrowing the gap on leader Citroen to five points.

Despite his last day heroics, Panizzi is out of contention for the drivers' crown in eighth place. "It's incredible," he said. "For me, it was impossible to beat Sebastien Loeb. It's completely crazy."

This was the perfect parting shot from Panizzi on his last drive in a Peugeot - he will be behind the wheel of a Bozian Racing 206 in Great Britain before switching to Mitsubishi next year.

Loeb said that tyre choice had played a pivotal role in his defeat.

"Our tyres weren't gripping at all in the morning," said the Citroen Xsara driver.

"It's hugely disappointing."

Sainz had a disastrous final stage, spinning out to throw away fourth place to eventually trail in seventh and set up a tense final rally from November 6-9 in the Welsh hills.